With generous expanses of glass and large outdoor decks, such candid exposure is the dramatic antithesis of the home’s previous incarnation, which, according to architect Austin Kelly, coprincipal of Culver City–based XTEN Architecture, resembled a “1960s alpine ski house with no architectural logic.”

The most flagrant impracticality? A profound lack of windows, despite the landmark views to be had from the residence’s privileged perch; among them, the Hollywood sign to the north and the Griffith Observatory to the east. (1)